Battery liquid-level indicator



April 2 1924. 1,491,143

F. L. KERR BATTERY LIQUID LEVEL INDICATOR Filed Oct. 17. 1922 mmvroa By M,%

4'4 ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 22, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ERANK L. KERR, OF WILLIAMSPORT, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO WILLIAM THEIS, JR, 0]! SOUTH WILLIAMSP-ORT, PENNSYLVANIA.

BATTERY LIQUID-LEVEL INDICATOR.

Application filed October 17, 1922. ierlal 110,195,202.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK L. Km, a citizen of the United States, residing at Williamsport, in the county of Lycomin and State of Pennsylvania, have invente certain new and useful Improvements in Battery Liquid-Level Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to seconda or storage batteries and more particular y to a liquid level indicator for such batteries, for use especially in connection with automobile batteries which are generally inaccessibly bolted within a rotective casing or box situated beneath t e front seat or floor-board of an automobile where it is inconveniently necessary to unscrew and remove the several.filler caps and peer into each cell to discover whether the battery should be refilled. As a rule, artificial light is! required to properly illuminate the interior of the battery sufliciently to see the liquid, and incautious or ignorant motorists are occasionally injure or disfigured by acid burns resulting from explosions caused byhold an open flame or lighted match too close to the batte where the liberated gases frequently ignlte and flare up into the motorists faces.

The object of my invention is to provide a novel, simple and inexpensive device, adaptable to all manufactured types of batteries, or to li uid batteries of any description, which wil entirel obviate the necessity for removing the ller caps or covers in order to determine the level of the liquid in the battery, thus supplying to the market and especially to automobile owners, an extremely useful time and labor saving device which may also be correctly termed a safety appliance.

A further object is to provide a device of ,the character referred to, which will normally be readily visible, thus obviatingthe necessity of striking a match or providing other illuminating'means in order to see-the indicator, unless the battery is obscured in darkness. I

The invention will first be hereinafter more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which are to be taken as a part of this s ecification and then pointed out in the claimsat the end of the description.

In said drawings, Fi 1 is a side elevation partly broken away 0 a battery equipped with my improved liquid level indicator;

Fig. 2 is aside elevation of a battery filler ca M33 'Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional elevation of the same.

Referring to the drawin in which like reference numerals are used to denote corresponding parts throughout the several views,-

within which the indicator is inserted;

through the walls of the frusto-conical base of the cap and opening into the recesses 4.

therein are provided as relief vents therethrough, allowing the gases continuously generating in the battery to pass off into the atmosphere. 1

The caps 3 are further centrally counterbored to smaller diameter, adapting a hard rubber or other non-corrosive plunger stem 7 of the liquid level indicator to be inserted therethrough, said plunger being longitudinally movable up and down within the recesses 4 and formed or provided with a flattened portion or stop. 8 intermediate'its' ends to limit the upward movement thereof beyond a predetermined point. To the lower extremity of the plunger 7, a hardened rubber or other non-corrosive hollow float 9 is rigidly secured, said float being sufiiciently buoyant to floating-1 support the plun r 7, to the opposite en of which is sec'urefi a small non-corrosive button or head 10, the latter being preferably white in color to render it more readily visible.

The plun r 7 ,the float 9 and the head 10 are prefer ly composed ofhardened rubher, which will not be eaten awa nor corrode by the action of the acid in t e battery, but glass or some other suitable acid resisting material or composition may be 'used if preferred' As the liquid level in the battery decreases, the float 9 will gradually fall, drawing the stem 7 with its indicator button 10 downward until the button 10 finally becomes seated at the bottom of the cavity or recess 4 within the filler cap. The motorist is enabled at alltimes to determine the ex act liquid level in each cell of the battery, merely by glancing a-tthe buttons 10, which will appear flush with the tops of the caps 8 when the battery is filled, and somewhat below the tops of the ca when the battery needs to be refilled. en the buttonsrlO appear extremely low within the cavities or recesses 4, the motorist will know that the battery has reached an injurious stage requiring immediate re-fllling to prevent the concentrated acid from completely destroying the battery plates.

Since the liquid level indicator attachment is selfcontained within the filler cap, it is removed with the latter when unscrewed or detached from place. The battery need not therefore be altered in any respect in order to attach the indicator.

For the purpose of assembling the arts, the button or head 10 may be remova le to permit the insertion of the stem 7 Within the filler cap, or a detachable connection may be provided below the tiller cap for inserting the stem from above, which case the head 10 may be rigid with the stem.

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that I have provided an extremely useful, inexpensive and novel device for indicating the liquid level of secondary and storage batteries. which entirely obviates the former necessity of periodically removing the various battery filler caps in order to determine the liquid content of the individual cells, which in addition may be correctly termed a safety device, the danger arising from holding a lighted match or open flame close to the battery being largely reduced, rendering explosions unlikely, inasmuch as the filler caps unless needlessly removed will confine the openings to the battery and prevent the sudden release of abnormal volumes of inflammable gas.

Although the button or head 10 has been illustrated and described as flush with the top of the filler cap when the plunger 7 has reached the upward limit of its movement, it will be understood that if preferred the device may be constructed so that the head 10 will project above the cap 3 when the plunger '7 has reached the limit of its upward movement. Also, distinctive coloring or a coating of some radiolite substance may be applied to the head 10 or the cap 3 to render either or both readily visible in total darkness.

Having thus described my inventiomwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In combination with a battery, a removable recessed flller cap having a plunger longitudinally movable therethrough, a float rigidly secured to the confined end of the plunger adaptedto buoyantly rest upon the surface of theliquid in the battery, and a visible headpiece carried on the exposed and of said plunger and movable within a recessed cap, whereby the level of the liquid may be ascertained by the relative osition of said head within the recess in said filler cap.

2.- In combination with a storage battery, :1 liquid level indicator comprising a removable recessed cap secured to the battery through an opening in the top thereof, having a reciprocal plunger limited in longitudinal movement therethrough, a buoyant member rigidly secured to the confined end of the plunger adapted to float upon the surface of the liquid in the battery, and a visible head carriedon the exposed end of said plunger and movable within the cap whereby the level of the liquid in the battery will be indicated by the relative position of said head within the recess in said cap.

3.- In combination with a storage battery, a liquid level indicator comprising a removable recessed filler cap attachable thereto through an opening in the top of the battery having gas escape vents and an acid resisting plunger longitudinally movable therethrough, an acid resisting buoyant element ri idly secured to the confined end of the plunger adapted to float upon the surface of the liquid in the battery, and a visible head piece carried on the exposed end of said plunger normally flush with the top of the filler cap and movable therewithin whereby the level of the liquid in the battery may be determined by the relative position of said head within the recess in said filler cap.

hA liquid level indicator for batteries comprising arecessed filler cap attachable to the batterv through an opening in the top thereof and having an acid resisting plunger of non-corrosive material longitudinally movable therethrough, a non-corrosive float rigidly mcured to the inner end of the plunger adapted to buoyantly rise or fall with the liquid in the battery, and a visible head piece carried on the other end of said plunger and movable within the recessed cap whereby the rise or fall of the li uid in the battery may ascertained by t e relative height of. said head within the recess in said cap.

5. In combination with a battery, a removable recessed filler cap havin a reciprocal plunger longitudinally movable in an opening therethrough, a non-corrosive float rigidly secured to vthe confined end of the plunger adapted to buoyantly rest upon the surface of the liquid in the battery, and a visible head piece carried on the exposed end of said plunger and limited to movement within the cap, whereby the level of the liquid may be ascertained by the relative position of said head within the recess in said filler cap.

6. In combination with a storage battery, a liquid level indicatorcom-prisingarecessed filler cap removably secured in an opening in the top of the battery having a plunger of non-corrosive material longitudinally movable therethrough, a non-corrosive buoyant element rigidly secured to the confined end of the plunger adapted to float upon the surface of the liquid in the battery and to rise and fall therewith, and a non-corrosive visible head piece carried on the ex osed end of said plunger normally flush wit the top of the filler cap when the liquid within the battery is at proper level, variations in the level of the liquid within the battery being externally determinable by the relative position of said head within'the recess in said filler cap.

7. In combination with a storage battery, a liquid level indicator comprising a removable recessed filler cap attachable thereto through an opening in the top of the battery having gas escape vents communicating between the recess in the cap and the interior of the battery and an acid resisting reciprocal plunger limited in longitudinal movement therethrough, an acid resisting buoyant element rigidly secured to the confined end of the plunger adapted to float upon the surface of the liquid in the battery, and a visible head piece carried on the exposed end of' said plunger and movable within the recessed cap whereby the level of the liquid in the'battery may be determined by the relative position of said head within the recess in said filler cap.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signaof two witnesses.

ture in the presence FRANK L. KERR. Witnesses:

CHARLES F. GREEVY,

CHRISTIAN MONDLED. 

